CISSP exam

Any suggestions on how to study to pass this exam?

Hi and welcome to the WTT forums. Senior colleagues in the malware removal forum, the Classroom Teachers and Administrative staff here may be able to give you further information, but assuming you have the required levels of practical experience and have the necessary academic qualifications then I have heard good reports on the 5 day preparation courses that are available. The pass rates are generally high and in the case of the UK are around 90% The academic qualifications required are usually along the lines of: : Students must subscribe to the (ISC)2 Code of Ethics. Students must have a minimum of four years of direct full-time security professional work experience in one or more of the ten test domains of Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), or three years of direct full-time security professional work experience in one or more of the ten test domains of the CBK with a college degree. A master's degree in Information Security from a National Center of Excellence can substitute for one year of the four-year requirement. Note: Valid experience includes information systems security-related work performed as a practitioner, auditor, consultant, vendor, investigator, or instructor, or that which requires IS security knowledge and involves direct application of that knowledge. The multiple choice nature of the exam takes some getting used to for those folks who have not encountered that method of testing previously or recently. As the maximum time allowed for the exam is 6 hours and there are generally 250 questions, speed is of the essence, you will have considerably less than 1.5 minutes to read each question, eliminate the distractors, note the possibles, and then select the appropriate responses. This time allocation allows no time for reviewing the questions about which you are unsure, or considering in depth the accuracy and exact interpretation of the meanings behind the questions (that can sometimes be tricky!)…….. A good practical guide is to train yourself to require only 1 minute for each question, so you have sufficient time to review areas of uncertanty and check thoroughly your anwers. Assuming you "know your stuff" then examination technique is an important, some would say vital part of your preparation. I only have knowledge and experience of the UK situation but I assume that similar fast track courses will be available to you in your local area. The 10 domains that can usually be covered include: CISSP Domain 1) Security Management Practices Types of Security Controls Security Policies, Standards, Procedures, and Guidelines Risk Management and Analysis CISSP Domain 2) Access Control Systems Identification, Authentication, and Authorization Technologies Discretionary versus Mandatory Access Control Models Rule-based and Role-based Access Control CISSP Domain 3) Telecommunications and Network Security TCP\IP Suite LAN, MAN, and WAN Topologies and Technologies Firewall Types and Architectures CISSP Domain 4) Cryptography Block and Stream Ciphers Explanation and Uses of Symmetric Key Algorithms Explanation and Uses of Asymmetric Key Algorithms CISSP Domain 5) Security Architecture and Models Critical Components of Every Computer Access Control Models Certification and Accreditation CISSP Domain 6) Operations Security Operations Department Responsibilities Personnel and Roles Media Library and Resource Protection CISSP Domain 7) Application and System Development Software Development Models Database Models Relational Database Components CISSP Domain 8) Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning Roles and Responsibilities Liability and Due Care Issues Business Impact Analysis CISSP Domain 9) Law, Investigation and Ethics Privacy Laws and Concerns Complications of Computer Crime Investigation Types of Evidence and How to Collect It CISSP Domain 10) Physical Security Facility Location and Construction Issues Physical Vulnerabilities and Threats Fencing, Lighting, and Perimeter Protection I hope you are able to find out further information on facilities more local to you as, of necessity, my comments are from a UK perspective. Good luck with your preparations. Regards paws